For over a decade, Sheila Heinze lived in a big house at the end of a cul-de-sac in Leesburg. She built a vibrant life in town, but there was always a pull toward the country. As her nest emptied out, she looked westward, searching across Virginia for the right piece of land to start her next chapter.
The landscape itself mattered more than the property. Heinze was confident she could turn the right piece of acreage into her home. Her one requirement? A place that she and Elizabeth, her beloved horse, would thrive.
At the time, properties were being sold off right and left to wineries, cideries, and breweries. What she did find was square chunks of farmland—places she knew Elizabeth would struggle due to a long list of equine allergies…